Choked
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: A supposedly relaxing vacation takes a sudden turn when Petra finds herself tangled in a murder case, convinced the police have arrested the wrong person. [Modern AU]
1. Vacation

**Chapter 1: Vacation**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

 **Summary** : A supposedly relaxing vacation takes a sudden turn when Petra finds herself tangled in a murder case, convinced the police have arrested the wrong person.

* * *

"Really? Again?" Levi stared at the hot mess on his couch. "I've had a tiring day with all my finals. I was kind of hoping to relax when I got home, not find someone eating all my food and making a mess everywhere." She ignored him, eyes glued to the TV. He wrinkled his nose at the dark stain on his grey sweatshirt and eyed the coke can in her hand. "Can't you pig-out at your own apartment?"

"You have satellite TV," Petra shoved some chips in her mouth, wiping her barbeque flavored fingers on the sweatshirt while Levi cringed.

"Don't you have your own clothes?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to ruin them. You can afford it though." She waved her hand. He shook his head and collapsed next to her. "So, how were finals?" Petra finally removed her eyeballs from the TV screen. "You got three minutes tops before the commercials end."

"Annoying," he stretched, laying his head back, eyes closed. "I'm glad that's all over and done."

"We're free for three months," Petra sighed happily. "You have any plans for the summer? Travel the world? Go visit family? In this case, they're one and the same."

"Nah, I just want to stay at home and relax. Enjoy the peace." He cracked an eyelid, looking at his ginger-haired friend, "Might not be possible with you around."

"Most people dream of flying around the world and visiting beautiful, exotic places and experiencing new things and making memories. You? You have the money to do all that but you're just too lazy to get your butt off the couch."

"Not lazy," he corrected. "I'm a homebody."

"C'mon, don't you want to—"

"No, my parents take my sister and I on a vacation once every year and that's enough. More would be annoying."

Petra let out a huff. "You're really going to spend the entire summer here when you're going to be here year round anyway? Don't you want a little change in scenery?"

"I'm fine thank you." Fortunately for him, the commercials were over and Petra's attention was once again snapped back to whatever trashy soap opera was on. He took the chance to slip away and call his parents.

"Okay," Petra turned off the TV. Levi glanced up momentarily from his phone. "I need to ask a favor. Can you take Fluffy for the weekend? I'm meeting my dad for dinner tomorrow night and afterwards we're going to my apartment to get my stuff and then I'm going with him for the weekend. He's going to Italy for a few weeks to visit grandma and he still hasn't packed," she said exasperatedly.

"I don't know…"

"Please?" She gave him her best puppy eyes. "It's only for three days. You're not going anywhere, you said so." He mentally winced at that. "You know Fluffy's easy to take care of. You've done it before."

"It was for one day," he sank into the couch. She stared at him, silently begging with her eyes. "Alright, but only if you stop that creepy staring, it's freaking me out."

"My puppy-dog eyes are adorable!"

"Uh-huh, sure."

* * *

"Here you are," Petra placed the carrier on the kitchen countertop. She leaned in and smiled. "Mommy will be back in a few days. Be a good boy," she cooed at the Black Dutch rabbit while Levi rolled his eyes. Petra's phone buzzed. "I gotta go now, thanks again," she left with a wave.

She could distinctly hear Levi muttering behind her. "Just you and me now, furball."

Petra sighed wistfully. She wished she could go visit her grandma with her dad. But her dad already paid for everything and she didn't want him to spend any more money on her. She had tuition to think of and a last minute plane ticket would deal a nasty blow to her savings. She'd worked too hard to add that money up to spend it now. _I was planning to visit her next year anyway_.

"Hi dad," she greeted him with a hug. "You didn't have to wait long, did you?"

"No, I just got here," he smiled and they took a seat. "I ordered your favorite appetizers, they'll be here soon. Tell me, how were your classes?" He asked eagerly. "It's been so long."

Petra laughed, "I just saw you last week!" She began chattering about friends, teachers, and complaining about the tough classes.

Her dad smiled fondly, "I can't believe you're so grown up already. I still remember when I was teaching you how to ride a bike like—"

"It was yesterday," Petra grinned, "I know. All parents say the same thing."

"You'll be saying it soon enough," he gave her a pointed look.

"Oh c'mon," she rolled her eyes. "Are we really going to do this again?" She pouted.

"Can you blame me? Soon you'll get your degree and have a job. Then you'll get married and the idea of being a grandpa gets me excited."

"That's _years_ away."

"I know, but I still can't help it. I've already started preparing by spoiling the neighborhood kids."

Their dinner arrived and they dug in. Halfway through, she sent a quick text to Levi to make sure everything was okay. _'Has Fluffy eaten yet? Don't forget to leave out plenty of water for him and call me if you need anything!'_

His reply came back swiftly. _'Relax, I got this.'_

* * *

"Petra?" Levi poked his head in the room. "Are you okay?" He cringed. Of course she wasn't okay. He cleared his throat. "Your roommate said you barely come out of the room. Do you want to go out for some fresh air?"

"I don't feel like it." Her muffled voice came out of the comforter she'd wrapped around her, becoming a human burrito.

"That movie you've been raving on about for weeks is in theaters. You wanna go watch it?" He swallowed, "I'll come with you."

"No, I don't want to."

"Look, I'm sorry okay. I should have paid more attention—"

"Stop, it's not your fault," she finally poked her tired face out of her little cocoon, eyes red and puffy. "Fluffy was old. I knew it was only a matter of time. I'm just sad I wasn't there. I've had him for 12 years," her eyes watered and her voice was thick with emotion. "He was the last, best memory I had of my mom." She took a deep breath, trying not to cry. "I'm tired; I want to take a quick nap."

"Okay," Levi said quietly.

He returned to his apartment and collapsed on the couch, running his hand through his hair. The sunbeam shining off the magazine caught his eye. He picked it up and paused, getting an idea. _That might be good for her_. Levi pulled out his phone and made a call. A week later, he met Petra outside the local café, she was sipping a cold coffee.

He eyed her up and down. She looked down at her black sweats and grey shirt and flip-flops. "I showered and brushed my hair and I'm wearing clean clothes," she shrugged. "Is it not presentable enough for you? And where have you been? You told me to meet you here an hour ago because of some emergency."

He nodded, "I had something to take care of. Let's go."

"Levi," Petra sighed, "you said it was an emergency. Why'd you call me here?"

"Follow me and I'll tell you."

She walked with him silently to the train station. "Why are we here?" She looked around curiously.

"We're taking a trip."

"What?" Petra froze. "No, Levi, no, I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to."

"You've been sulking in your room for too long. It's getting ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Her eyes widened, gaining moisture.

"If you want to continue to mourn, go for it. But shutting yourself away isn't healthy. At least think about how your father would feel if he found out."

"It isn't unhealthy, I'm fine," Petra mumbled. She mentally cringed at her lies.

"You're pale, you've got dark circles under your eyes, and you've lost weight, do you want me to continue?" He stared her down. Petra sighed and his gaze softened. "Look, I'm not asking you to run the Ironman Marathon with me. My family owns a little house in this quant tourist town, great place to relax and unwind, it would do you good to go out and get some fresh air."

"What about luggage?" Petra asked.

"Asked your roommate to pack and is already on board."

 _Damn, sneaky bastard_ , Petra thought. _That's why he got me out the apartment and was so late_.

"We can stay for a few days and if you don't like it, you can leave," Levi tried a compromise.

"Alright, my stuff is already here so why not," Petra gave in. She really didn't want to stand around arguing with one of the most stubborn people she'd ever met. Not that it mattered where she was as long as she could get some quiet time to herself. _That and Levi said quaint_. She thought that was super cute.

Levi nodded, posture relaxed at his victory. "Have you ever ridden a train before?" He changed the subject, quickly steering her towards their train.

"No," she said grudgingly, trying to rein in her excitement. She felt kind of guilty for being happy. Too soon she forgot all about it. As the city whipped by, Petra couldn't help but lose herself in the moment and began questioning Levi about the place they were going to.

"It's a quiet coastal town. Like I told you, most of its economy is based on tourists. It's a popular spot for vacations because of the parks, the Bed-and-Breakfasts, the skydiving spot, and the like. If you're rich enough, you can buy a home on the waterfront, a place to go and relax away from the stressful city. I went there with my family as a kid. I'd almost forgotten about it except Isabel called the other day—she lives there—and pestered me into coming for a visit."

Petra nodded and continued to grill him.

* * *

Levi sighed, "Sometime this year, Petra."

"Shhh! This is a delicate process," she kept her eyes glued to the screen.

"Don't shush me. And if you don't choose in the next 10 seconds, _I_ will."

"Wait," Petra panicked, looking between the Ferrari and the Lamborghini. "Um, uh…"

"Five seconds."

"Ferrari is a universal dream car but Batman has a Lamborghini," she chewed her lip.

"Alright, Lam—"

"Ferrari! Ferrari forever!"

"Was that so hard?" Levi swiped his credit card and confirmed the car rental.

Petra gasped a little, "$1,200 per day?!" She shrunk back, "You don't have to spend that much. The Lamborghini is just as good but cheaper. Or why not rent a—"

"Too late, it's already finalized." He picked up his luggage and started to walk. "C'mon, it'll be here soon."

Petra felt bad he was spending so much money; even if he did have it in spares and more. When she finally decided to say something, the California Ferrari pulled up and the words died on her lips. " _Hello_ , beautiful." She admired the fire engine red car while Levi talked to the man and loaded their luggage. "Can I drive?"

"Petra, this isn't just any car, it's a sports car. It's built for speed and is very sensitive to its driver's touch. Besides," he got in, "you're not insured and I don't want to die."

"Fine," she clicked on her seatbelt. "But I want to drive it at least once while we're here."

Levi nodded, making a mental note to buy a helmet. Petra smiled widely as they rode through a crowded street, surrounded by 2-3 floor buildings, some dark, some soft pastel colored. People walked around, smiling and carefree. It really was a picturesque town. They rolled into the residential area; large houses with lush green lawns were evenly spaced on both sides.

 _You could actually build a small house with the amount of room between the houses._ They pulled up to a large two story red house sitting by itself at the end of the street. "You call _this_ a _little_ house _?_ It's four, no _five_ times the size of my house!"

"I remembered it smaller," he shrugged. "Plus it's been remodeled. It's bound to be different," he slipped the key in and unlocked the door. With the code punched in to keep the alarm from sending out an alert to the cops, he left Petra to admire the interior while he fetched their luggage.

"Go get settled in, I'll call the pizza place. Bedrooms are all on the second floor."

Petra grabbed her stuff and found a room for herself. The entire house scheme was white and grey. _It's so classy!_ The room she picked was grey and coral and her favorite part was the view out the window. She wanted a better look and went down the stairs and through the back door. Petra walked down two steps and sat with her face in her palms, elbows resting on her knees.

Pass the vibrant green grass, the ocean sat, sparkling, grey-blue in color. The sun shone brightly, still hovering high over the horizon despite the time of day. _I can't wait to see the sunset_. She was glad Levi made her come. Petra inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of earthy dirt, grass, and the ocean.

 _This is a great vacation spot! It's so relaxing!_ She smiled happily. The next few weeks were going to be full of exciting outdoor adventures and soothing walks on the beach. _This is going to be the best summer vacation ever!_

* * *

 _ **Please Review~**_


	2. Fun in the Sun

**Chapter 2: Fun in the Sun**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

 **Previously** : Petra goes to help her dad and leaves her bunny with Levi. Fluffy dies and Petra's depressed. Levi drags her to a vacation home his family owns in a coastal town.

* * *

"How did you forget about this place?" Petra looked up from her laptop to take a sip of the lemonade. Behind her, the ocean moved in soft waves, sparkling deep blue in the afternoon sun. If she ever had such a dream home she'd be thinking about it constantly.

"Last time I was here was years ago," he shrugged. "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking out all the fun activities and putting together a schedule of what activities to do on what day," she replied enthusiastically. "I've already got Skydiving, Scuba diving, Bungee jumping, hiking, paintballing, a carnival, a giant outdoors Jenga competition, water balloon dodge ball, jet skiing—"

"You're going to do every single one of those things?" Levi raised an eyebrow.

"No, of course not," she gave him an exasperated look. " _We_ are doing that, together."

"Hell no," he scowled.

"I'm not doing all this by myself! How lame is that? You're going with me. That's final."

Levi wanted to object. Unfortunately, the entire reason for the trip was to get her mind off Fluffy. If he said no, she'd sulk around the house, haunting it like a ghost the entire time they were there. Sighing softfly, he resigned himself to being dragged around from event to event, having to deal with stupid, annoying people that were too damn perky. _This is going to be a long summer._

"Ooh look! They have a Zombie Walk!"

 _A very long summer._

The first activity started the following day: Archery.

"I've handled guns, how hard can a bow and arrow be?" Petra had said before they began.

They were out in an open field, targets all on one side and people on the other. Levi watched in amusement when another arrow missed the target. "You suck."

"Thanks for the support." She decided it was the wind's fault. Even though it wasn't very windy. Or at all.

"Lower your shoulders," he suggested. "And loosen your grip," he repeated their instructor's words while she helped the guy next to them.

By the end, Petra was no closer to hitting the target and had to let go of her pride and go to a target that was closer. He figured she'd get frustrated eventually and they could leave early. But she kept at it, more so out of spite to keep him there until the very end because he was much better than her. "You can take shooting an arrow out of your repertoire."

Petra ignored him. "Guns are way better, whoever uses bows and arrows anymore? A crossbow is better," her stung pride said.

Paintballing the next day put her in a much better mood. Running around the forest, pulling the trigger and watching the target be splattered with paint right on point was very satisfying.

But the following day, while fun for her, was not so fun for Levi. Much like the Archery area, it was on an open field. A chalk rectangle with a line in the middle indicated the boundaries. "You look like a drowned cat!" Petra giggled.

"Shut up, you're no better," he sulked, squeezing his shirt to get rid of the water, blaming their teammates. They'd spent more time laughing and having fun than destroying the enemy. It was an elimination game, three hits and you were out. As a result, Petra and Levi were the last left standing and were destroyed by an onslaught from the opposition; majority of whom hadn't been eliminated yet.

"Hey guys." They turned to see a tall blonde-haired young man followed by two other guys. They had been on the other team and Levi automatically did not like them. "I'm Erd, and Gunther and Oluo," he nodded to the two, "we just wanted to say good game."

"I'm Petra, this is Levi, and yeah," she grinned, "it was a fun game." She barely heard Levi mumbling under his breath, something along the lines of 'Speak for yourself.'

"Sorry for blasting you two at the end, it was kind of payback from yesterday," Gunther smiled.

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah, we were paintballing too," Oluo nodded.

"I don't remember seeing any of you," Levi furrowed his eyebrow.

"You probably don't recognize us because your little friend here eliminated us in the first few minutes," Erd laughed.

"Are you here on vacation?" Petra asked.

 _Don't invite them over, don't invite them_ , Levi chanted in his head. While he knew she wouldn't be rude and let strangers into his home, especially knowing how much of a private person he was, Levi still prayed she wouldn't.

"—see you around." After exchanging info, the trio walked away.

"What was that about?"

"They're staying here on vacation too. We're doing some of the same things like Skydiving and hiking so we'll all go as a group. It'll be way more fun that way!"

 _This just keeps getting better and better_ , Levi thought sarcastically. Now he had to deal with those three. He couldn't even complain about not wanting to go or leaving early. There was no way he was leaving her alone with three men they just met, especially in the middle of a forest with no one around.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Petra was filled with nervous excitement. Her hands shook slightly and she breathed carefully. "What's it like?" She asked him yet again.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"What if I mess up?" She bit her lip, cursing herself for being too proudful and not asking to go with an expert since this was her first time.

"Have you ever dropped an egg? Yeah? That's you if you mess up."

"You're such an ass," she rolled her eyes.

Levi sighed, "If you want to back out…"

"No, I'm doing this," she said determinedly.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Erd turned to them.

"Nothing, just last minute stuff," Petra shrugged. "Levi was just telling me about what it's like, he's done it before with his family. I'm a bit nervous," she admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Nothing to worry about," Oluo replied confidently. "It's safe; they're very strict about the rules and regulations here."

Levi rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's because someone fell to his death here last year."

Fortunately, no one heard him over the instructor's voice, except for Petra. "Why would you tell me that?" She groaned. "You just chased away any bit of courage I had."

"I was kidding," he lied,"it'll be fine." She was too afraid to call him on it and turned to the instructor.

"Hey," Oluo held out his hand from the doorway. "We can go together if you want." He wasn't speaking loud enough and Petra didn't hear him. Levi did.

"Thank you but I'm okay," Levi gave him a push while the instructor checked Petra's gear upon her request.

"You have to jump soon," he said.

Petra took a deep breath and edged forward. "The more you wait the worse it is," Levi said. "I've been in your shoes before."

"How'd you do it?"

"My sister pushed me, she got tired of waiting. Trust me that is way more terrifying."

"I'm going to do it myself," Petra nodded and jumped without thinking too much.

Her limbs were flailing and she screamed. Panic overrode 6 hours of ground training and made it hard for her to breathe. It was cold. She tried to breathe as calmly as she could. Keeping one hand on the harness, she let the panic ebb away. She started to get the feel of it and began enjoying herself, still a tad bit frightened.

Finally she spread out her arms and let out a loud, happy laugh. _This is… stunning!_ She was in awe at the swirl of emotions surging around in her. Excitement, nervousness, happiness, it was completely and utterly thrilling. Too soon she had to deploy her parachute and the descent became a lot calmer. Petra smiled widely at the beautiful view.

Floating around in the air, watching the land and the water below were some of the best minutes of her life. _I can't believe I'm doing this!_ It was a complete turnaround, going from the explosion of emotions at the freefall to the relaxing and wonderful parachute ride down. She was extremely disappointed when it ended.

* * *

"That was amazing!"

"I know," he opened a packet of soy sauce and poured it over the noodles. They were back home and Petra had yet to stop gushing.

"At first it was horrible and I was sure I was going to die but then it got better! And the parachute down was the best, the view was so beautiful and breathtaking!"

"I know," he repeated.

"Let's do it again!"

"Yeah, let's not." While he'd enjoyed the experience—much more than the first time around—he'd had his fill of adventure. He wondered if he could convince Petra to take a few days break. _Or do something less extreme_ , _like a trip to the spa_. Isabel hadn't stopped babbling about her weekend at the spa place and recommended it highly.

Before the suggestion could be made, Petra's phone rang. Making a shushing noise, she picked up, "Hi dad… Good…It's going great… Okay," she nodded. "Really? Sounds like you're enjoying it… Alright, have fun. Love you, bye."

"You told him about this trip?" Levi had never met her father. It surprised him that she told him she was spending the summer with him, just the two of them.

According to what Petra said—complained—about the man, he was very traditional. No dating until 18, no sex before marriage, no living with men, no alcohol or drugs or smoking. Levi knew she wasn't a virgin, she'd said as much. And frankly he thought it was convenient she'd dropped by his place to pick up something before her date and later that night he'd found his new box of condoms half empty.

"No way," she scoffed, "he'd have a Coronary. Just staying a night at a guy's place who wasn't family would be scandalous to him. You know my longest relationship ended because I told my dad I really liked this guy and he went up to my ex and asked him when he was going to ask for my hand in marriage. Our relationship never survived that awkwardness."

After storing away the leftovers, they settled in for some TV. "What's the plan for this weekend?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll text Erd and see what he and the guys are planning," she unlocked her phone.

"I have an idea."

"Does it involve sitting on the couch stuffing your face and watching TV all day long?"

"No, but it involves lying down." He explained about the spa place and Petra was on board immediately. She went to put it in her schedule before going to bed. Levi shook his head and turned off the TV in the middle of the some breaking news.

Unfortunately for them, the spa place was booked for the month. "We can go Scuba diving," Petra suggested, pouring a bowl of sugary sweet cereal.

"I've had enough of water, thank you," he handed her the gallon of milk, dipping his spoon in the bowl.

"What about hiking?"

Levi paused to consider. Isabel's family owned a house near the trails. She volunteered there with two of her friends on the weekends in the summer as a tour guide, helping the actual tour guide as they showed the visitors around. She had been whining to him about coming for a visit. First he'd have to call her and explain everything. "Okay."

" _Really?! Yes!"_

Levi pulled his phone away from his ear later that evening, cringing. "You don't have to yell."

" _Don't worry, I'll take care of everything!"_

"Again with the yelling."

" _Sorry,"_ she replied sheepishly. _"I got excited. Are you going to come and stay over?"_

"Maybe, I don't know."

" _You have to come by for dinner at least once every week. You can bring your friend too."_

"Alright, I will. Listen, I also have to tell you…"

Petra jumped on Levi's laptop while he wandered away for some privacy. She looked up the park and texted Erd. They had already bought passes that didn't expire until the end of summer. Admiring the beautiful photos on the website, she couldn't wait to see the actual scenery.

* * *

A red blur launched itself at Levi and Petra watched in amusement. "Okay, that's enough," Levi patted her head. "Did you get taller?" Last time he met her was a few months back.

"Yup," she said, standing proudly. "Who's this?" She peered curiously around him.

"Hey, I'm Petra," she smiled.

"Isabel Magnolia," she threw her arms around a startled Petra.

"Oh, okay," she hugged back after a second of hesitation.

"Don't worry about the passes, I took care of it," she smiled cheerfully.

"I thought you didn't have to pay to hike here," Petra said.

"The fee is for the tour guides, you can hike for free. Sometimes first timers get lost so some geology students from the local university set up the tour guide system and the website. Tour guides are basically people who know the area and if you want, you can pay one to show you around and make sure you don't get lost. It's only $10 dollars per person, $30 for an entire group," she handed them two laminated passes.

Petra nodded, Erd had told her it was cheaper as a group. Unfortunately, they'd already paid a group pass fee for 3 people so she and Levi had to get their own. She smiled when she saw the trio walking up to them. After going through introduction, Isabel led them to their trail where the others had gathered up.

Before parting to the front to her senior, she glanced once at Petra and subtly gave Levi a thumbs up. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the action. _I really hope nobody saw that_. Soon they began moving, the guide and the three volunteers pointing out plants and animals, often telling the hiker to watch their step.

They made a stop at the picnic benches set just outside the forest on the rocky ground, overlooking the lake between the hills. Wild, colorful flowers grew in bushes around them. Petra pulled out her camera, a dangerous glean in her eyes. Levi subtly tried to back away but an iron grip on his arm prevented him from moving.

"Where are you going, Levi? Get over here." She forced him to a stop and snapped a photo of him staring exasperatedly at her. "Would it kill you to smile?"

"Yes."

"At least you'll die happy." She handed him the camera. "Now take my photo. Okay, one more." She moved away. "One here." She moved again. "And here." She moved yet again. "Take—"

"No, that's enough, this isn't a photo shoot."

"Fine," she huffed and dragged him to the table with the guys. "Thanks for saving us a spot."

"It was no problem. So, you guys already went to Archery, right? We were thinking about it and haven't decided yet. Is it fun?"

"Are you guys enjoying the hike so far?" One of the volunteers came over.

They nodded enthusiastically before returning to the conversation. "It was okay, not really that fun," Petra answered.

"She's only saying that because it took her a while to get the hang of it. It was honestly a little pathetic."

"Shut up, I'd rather have gone to a shooting range but you didn't want to have your butt kicked again."

Levi wanted to point out she picked out Archery just like all the activities and he'd only shrugged, not really paying any attention. "You must be really good," Oluo leaned forward. "Have you ever competed?"

"No, but I've been thinking about it."

After finishing lunch and cleaning up, they began. Since he refused to have his photo taken, Petra constantly stopped and made him take photos of her instead. "Are we really going do this every 5 minutes?"

"We don't stop every 5 minutes."

"The time stamped photos would argue otherwise."

They hiked through beautiful green valleys, hills and tall trees, and Petra's favorite, a meadow full of flowers. Understandably many began taking photos. Snatching her camera back and handing it to Erd, she took Levi's arm. "Let's take one together."

"If we must," he sighed, knowing better than to argue with her. "You're as bad as my mother, you know." Every time they were on a vacation or just out for night together his mother insisted on photos what felt like every 5 minutes. Then she'd take forever snapping the photo.

Petra plucked a blue-colored Violet and tucked it behind his ear. "There, don't you look cute," she giggled.

"Real manly," Erd snickered, taking a photo of Levi flipping him the bird.

Levi took it out and tossed it over his shoulder. Petra's smile fell, "Why'd you do that?!"

"I am _not_ wearing a flower."

"I wanted to use it in my bouquet."

He rolled his eyes. Searching around them, he grabbed the first flower that caught his eye. "Here," he plucked the pink-colored Carnation.

"Ooh, it's beautiful," she cradled it.

Isabel eventually wandered over; making sure no one was left behind. "It looks really beautiful," she admired the colorful bouquet.

"Thanks," Petra smiled. "I'm all done, sorry if everyone had to wait because of me."

"No, some are still taking photos," she waved off her concern.

"I'm honestly surprised we don't get charged more, not that I'm complaining," Gunther said.

"I think that'll change soon enough," Isabel perked up. "There's going to be a resort built here soon."

"Really?" Oluo frowned.

"It's not a bad thing," Isabel explained, "it's actually pretty good news. Experts are going to be hired to make sure the environment isn't damaged. The people who want to build the resort want to make this a tourist attraction. And they want to make sure no one litters or damages the environment. Occasionally there have been problems with drunken idiots starting a fire and shooting animals for fun. The recession was bad so it'll help boost the economy too."

The group started the hike again, walking through the foliage with the sun breaking out here and there. They passed over a wooden bridge, a small stream running below it. The ground was covered with thick roots and she was glad Levi had forcibly bought a pair of hiking boots for her, despite her wishes. Inhaling the earthy smell, she smiled, listening to the birds chirping around them. Petra got a feeling she was foretting something. It occurred to her a few minutes later.

"Levi, take a photo of me next to those funny looking trees!"

* * *

 _ **Please Review~**_

 _Now that they've had their fun, in the next chapter comes the murder case!_


End file.
